Chamber President Karen Tharaldson presents the Grand Marshal Certificate to Mary Baukol
In 1968, a southwest wind blew a young woman into town to manage a 3.2 beer joint and that whirlwind is still spinning. She has an innate knack for promotional advertising, a gift for business, the best price in town on a diamond, and an unstoppable way of drawing people into her visions and plans. She’s a diamond in the rough, swearing like a sailor one minute to pulling a $2 bill out of her wallet to give to a little tyke the next, she truly has a heart of gold. From owning or managing the Circle V, the Water’s Edge, the Nodland Café, the Lariat, she has the best stories about old-time Starbuck characters, and a nickname for them to boot. Sometimes the stories are told with an imitation of the character’s voice and mannerisms and every listener, whether they know who she’s talking about or not, is pulled into the story in a way that they feel they know the subject when the story is over. She’s not the only one with the stories, though. Plenty of people have stories about her! A few favorites are of her sneaking into the kitchen of restaurants to sample the food, of her dancing the birdie with her famous whistle and purple jersey on the softball field or sucking friends into a scheme to dress like the mafia or in camo to make a boisterous appearance at a basketball game. The best supporter of all things Starbuck, she can be seen around town daily, old-time country music blaring from the radio of her vehicle or jumping out to run into a store. She has been a director of the Chamber of Commerce, currently sits on the Starbuck city council, and has managed the Starbuck VFW club for the last 9 + years. I am pleased and honored to announce the Chamber of Commerce has chosen Mary Baukol to represent Starbuck as the 2024 Heritage Days Grand Marshal.